Google Business Profile holiday hours: how to set them
A customer searches on Thanksgiving morning, Google says you are open, and they find a locked door or an unanswered phone. Or the reverse: you are open and Google says closed. Special hours take two minutes to set and stop both.
Why special hours matter
- Customers trust what Google shows. Wrong hours mean wasted trips, missed calls and bad reviews.
- Google prefers businesses that look open. For urgent searches, being shown as open at that moment helps you appear.
- It prevents Google guessing. If you leave holidays blank, Google may use last year's hours or a user suggestion. See why Google changes your business information.
How to set special hours
- Open your Business Profile and choose Edit profile.
- Go to the hours section and find special hours.
- Pick the date and set your hours for that day, or mark it closed.
- Repeat for each date and save.
Special hours apply only to the dates you choose. Your regular hours come back automatically afterwards. Special hours only show when your profile is set to open with main hours, so set your regular hours first.
Google often suggests upcoming holidays for you to confirm. Review them and confirm, even when your hours are normal that day. Google asks owners to confirm official holiday hours either way.
US holidays worth setting every year
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Presidents' Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving, and the Friday after
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
- New Year's Eve
Add local events too: a town festival that closes your street, or a day you close for staff training.
Temporary closures and changes
- Closed for up to 6 days in a row: set special hours as closed for each day.
- Closed for 7 days or more, for example for a renovation: Google asks you to mark the business as temporarily closed, and reopen it on your profile when you are back.
- Seasonal businesses: update your regular hours at the start and end of each season.
- Different hours for different services: Google lets many businesses add more hours, such as delivery or online appointments, alongside the main hours.
Make it part of a routine
Set a reminder at the start of each quarter to add the next three months of holidays. It takes minutes and keeps your profile accurate all year. Keeping hours, posts and photos up to date is part of our Google Business Profile management.
Questions owners ask
Do opening hours affect ranking?
Google tends to show businesses that are open at the time of the search more prominently, especially for urgent searches. Accurate hours, including holidays, help you appear when you are actually available.
What if we take emergency calls on holidays?
Set your hours to reflect when you answer the phone. If you offer 24 hour emergency service, show it in your hours and description, and make sure someone really does answer.
Why does Google ask me to confirm my holiday hours?
Google often prompts owners before major holidays. Confirming, even when your hours are normal, tells Google your profile is actively managed and stops it guessing.
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